O'Brien's spat with NBC is obviously helping his visibility and ensuring that he is getting traction, ironically right at the time that he is leaving NBC, which now seems certain.

Polone compared the moment to when Jay Leno began moving past David Letterman after he interviewed British actor Hugh Grant, who had been caught with a hooker in Los Angeles. “It is that kind of moment,” he said. Leno continued to forge ahead after that.

Many believe that the average Joe, who is feeling under pressure economically these days, is identifying with O'Brien as he faces losing his job as well as a big corporation ousting him.